Divisions inside the House of Representatives' Republican majority are dominating news and impacting the chamber's ability to function on divisive issues. Where do Minnesota's Republican lawmakers stand?
The Cook Political Report categorizes the Republican caucus by how they voted on five key votes this year: the election of Speaker John Boehner in January and four votes where Republican divisions meant the bills only passed with Democratic support. Some lawmakers reliably supported Boehner and other House leadership, while others regularly opposed Leadership on these key votes.
The 46 Republicans who voted with Boehner all five times were dubbed "The Dependables," grouped alongside the 40 lawmakers who voted with Boehner four times ("The Allies") in an 86-strong "Coalition of the Willing."
The middle of the caucus, 111 lawmakers dubbed "The Deciders," include the 59 three-yes "Helpers" and the 52 two-yes "Skeptics" — a group the New York Times called the "vote no, hope yes" caucus, who vote against controversial bills to head off activist dissent at home but secretly hope they pass.
Finally, the 35-member "Coalition of the Unwilling" is the group that toppled Boehner and thwarted his presumed successor, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy. Twenty-five "Agitators" only gave Boehner a single yes vote out of five, while 10 "Rebels" opposed Boehner on all five occasions.
As it happens, the more often a lawmaker voted against Boehner, the more conservative their district is likely to be, and vice versa.
Where do Minnesota Republican Reps. John Kline, Erik Paulsen and Tom Emmer fall on this spectrum?
All three Republicans are "Dependables" who voted with Boehner and House leadership five out of five times.
(Previously: We used another metric to estimate how liberal or conservative Minnesota's Congressional delegation are based on their entire voting record. Read that here.)
Here's the Cook Political Report's full categorization:
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